Embark Studios has completed an investigation into recent exploits in Arc Raiders and begun issuing actions against abusers. The studio released update 1.000.023 on February 17, 2026, to enforce penalties including warnings, coin removals, and suspensions. This follows glitches that disrupted the game's economy and player experience.
Arc Raiders, the extraction shooter from Embark Studios, has faced challenges from exploits early in 2026 despite its success, with nearly 1 million concurrent players on PC and over 14 million copies sold overall, attracting 6 million weekly players.
Earlier this month, a duplication glitch enabled players to double items like traps and ziplines, impacting performance in crowded areas. A hotfix addressed this, but an infinite ammo exploit soon emerged, affecting magazine sizes and gun durability, which undermined the in-game economy and scavenging loop.
Embark Studios deployed multiple patches in response, preparing for the upcoming 'Shrouded Sky' content update. On February 17, 2026, the studio announced the completion of a large investigation into these issues. "Though these exploits stemmed from a design flaw on our part, the way they were used had a real impact on the game's economy and the way the community experienced ARC Raiders. It's on us to address that and work to restore balance," the developers stated.
Update 1.000.023, a small patch across platforms, initiates enforcement actions. "Over the course of the next week, we will begin issuing enforcement actions to accounts that we can confirm took advantage of these exploits," Embark said. Actions are based on severity, intent, frequency, and impact, including warnings for low-severity cases, removal of coins from exploit activity, and suspensions for severe cases that harmed the economy or other players.
The studio emphasized fairness, validating reports, confirming usage, and distinguishing accidental from intentional abuse. Improvements to detection, tracking, and safeguards have been implemented to prevent future issues. Players are encouraged to report problems via the official Discord server at discord.gg/arcraiders.
Meanwhile, the 'Shrouded Sky' update is confirmed for next week, specifically February 24, 2026. It will introduce a new map condition, ARC threat, Player Project, Raider Deck, map update, and Expedition window, as outlined in the game's four-month roadmap following the January 'Headwinds' update.
